Tell Me About It
When sixteen-year-old aspiring photographer Charlie Bloom receives the invitation of her dreams - to take backstage photos for chart-topping boyband Fire&Lights - it's an offer she can't refuse. Overnight she is launched into a world of bloggers, paparazzi and backstage bickering and soon becomes caught between the dark charms of the band's lead singer and songwriter, Gabriel West, and his boy-next-door bandmate Olly Samson.

Charlie's growing notoriety makes her a daily target for bitchy bully Aimee Watts and her clique, and though she seeks comfort in her best friend, Melissa, her life spirals ever further out of control.

As her connection with Gabriel deepens, Charlie stumbles upon a spine-tingling truth: all the songs he has written for Fire&Lights' debut album are, impossibly, linked to her and her past. How can this be? What dark secrets has he uncovered? Why is Melissa acting so strangely all the time? And will this rivalry between Gabriel and Olly eventually tear the band apart?

My Thoughts
When I first heard about Songs About a Girl I knew it was a book I had to read. I really enjoy books with this type of theme, and once it arrived I could not wait to make a start on it.

Charlie is an amateur photographer, taking photos for fun. Her recent shots of a gig garner the attention of Olly, an old school acquaintance, who wants her to come and take backstage photographs of his band Fire & Lights. After some deliberation, and sneaking on her best friends part, Charlie soon finds herself among the company of the most desired band and its members, Olly, Gabriel, Yuki, and Aiden, but all she wants is to take pictures, and not to have her name used for any of them.

I really liked how Charlie goes into this job with no idea of who the band is and what music they play. She knows Olly from school and that's all. However she soon realises that what the band portrays to its fans is a different story to what she sees backstage, and is a first hand witness to some of the disagreements, fights, and tension.
Life for Charlie isn't the best, her Mum has died and she lives with her Dad who isn't always there one hundred percent, she is bullied a lot at school and does what she can to avoid it all. As her job with the band progresses, a photo is leaked of her with them, and the bullying escalates to a level that I thought was horrendous. The photography is a way for her to escape, but also do something she is good at, something she enjoys, and judging from the descriptions shes extremely good at what she does.

As the story progresses we get to spend more time with the band, and Charlie begins to see a connection with thier songs, and her Mum's journals. But when the truth is revealed it's not something Charlie or I expected. Not in a million years did I think that this would happen, and I really needed there to be a chapter or two more in the book to explain more about this photograph, instead of just leaving us on a cliffhanger.

Final VerdictSongs About a Girl is more than music, its about growing up, dealing with issues that others face every day, its about becoming a stronger person for yourself and never giving up on your dream. It's a book that you can fall into and never want it to end, and I really need the next installment now please.

2 comments:

I just love how this surprised you! I usually guess the reveal very early so I'm always looking for something I won't see coming. On the other hand, I really dislike cliffhangers so perhaps I should wait for the next one to come out. Great review.

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